1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a content selection apparatus and a content selection method for selecting a content item to be presented to a user from content items such as still images and moving images.
2. Background Art
The widespread use of a digital imaging device such as a digital camera and a camera phone and the increase in capacity of a recording medium installed in or connected to such an imaging device have provided greater opportunities for a user to create content items (photographs or movies (video)). Moreover, the significant increase in storage capacity of a content management apparatus (such as a personal computer and a hard disk recorder) for storing and managing created content items enables large amounts of content items to be stored in the content management apparatus.
Meanwhile, the user does not have many occasions to look back the content items stored in the content management apparatus. Many content items stored in the content management apparatus have been either viewed by the user only once or left without ever being viewed by the user.
In most cases, content items such as photographs or movies show objects which the user intends to record. In the case where an object different from that intended by the user is shown in a content item, however, the user may enjoy an element of chance and surprise upon looking back such a content item. Besides, when content items captured in different situations are collected and presented to the user, the user may enjoy finding out some commonality between the content items.
A content item that not only has few opportunities of being looked back but delivers unexpected value (fun, interest) to the user as the user can enjoy an element of chance and surprise from the content item is referred to as “dead storage content item” in this description.
If the user is aware of an element of chance and surprise brought by such a content item, the user looks back the content item not only once but in various ways. This reduces the number of dead storage content items. If the user is unaware of an element of chance and surprise brought by the content item, however, the user merely views the content item only once or leaves the content item in the content management apparatus without ever looking back. This increases the number of dead storage content items.
In view of this, for instance, a technique whereby a content item which the user has not viewed for a while is automatically extracted and displayed based on a user operation is disclosed (for example, see Patent Literature (PTL) 1).